Polamalu won't play Thursday

NFL beat

With the Pittsburgh Steelers fast running out of games and his left knee still not healed, star safety Troy Polamalu isn't certain if he will be back this season.

Polamalu is hopeful of playing again, but he said Tuesday there is no definitive date for his return.

Polamalu's latest injury, to his posterior cruciate ligament, was initially expected to be less severe than the anterior cruciate ligament injury that kept him out of the Steelers' second through fifth games. But he won't play Thursday night in Cleveland, the fourth consecutive game he's missed with his latest injury.

The Steelers have 10 days off after Cleveland until their next game, and there is a chance the five-time Pro Bowl player could be ready to play Dec. 20 against Green Bay.

However, Polamalu hasn't been cleared to practice, much less play.

Asked what it will take for him to play again this season, Polamalu said, "A whole lot of feeling. A whole lot of prayers. God willing, hopefully, I'll be able to play. We'll see what the doctor says."

Polamalu did not say when he is scheduled to be examined again, although it is expected to be after the Steelers (6-6) play the Browns (1-11).

Elsewhere

REDSKINS: The chip-shot miss against the New Orleans Saints has cost Washington Redskins kicker Shaun Suisham his job. Suisham, the most accurate kicker in franchise history, was cut Tuesday by the Redskins, who replaced him with former Florida State kicker Graham Gano.

Suisham made his first 13 field-goal attempts this season, but he had vital misses from 39 and 50 yards in the 7-6 loss to Dallas three games ago and was wide right Sunday on a 23-yarder that would have sealed a victory over the unbeaten Saints. New Orleans rallied to win 33-30 in overtime.

Suisham made 18 of 21 attempts this season and 81 of 101 since joining the Redskins in 2006. His 80.2 percent success rate is the best career mark for any Redskins kicker with more than a half-dozen attempts.

In other Redskins news, the season is over for RB Clinton Portis, who has not played since his concussion a month ago. The Redskins placed Portis on injured reserve Tuesday after he had another round of tests by a specialist in Pittsburgh.

GIANTS: Former Super Bowl star Plaxico Burress wants to get a break from prison, but prosecutors said Tuesday they will likely try to block his bid for work release because he hasn't served enough time.

The former Giants receiver applied for a work furlough -- which would let him spend some portion of his time at home -- on Nov. 25, about two months into his two-year sentence for carrying an unlicensed gun that went off and wounded him at a Manhattan nightclub. State prison system officials are expected to decide on his request next month. Prosecutors said the bullet narrowly missed a security guard, and they insisted on at least a two-year prison term. A quick furlough would send "a very bad message," Manhattan Chief Assistant District Attorney Mark Dwyer said.

Statistically, Burress' effort is a long shot. Less than 5 percent of the more than 31,500 work release applications statewide were granted last year, according to the state Department of Correctional Services.

FLEX TV: The Minnesota-Carolina matchup Dec. 20 will remain the Sunday night game even though NBC had the option to choose another. The league said the Green Bay-Pittsburgh game will start at 4:15 p.m. instead of 1 p.m.

GRANTS: The NFL's charitable foundation is awarding $1.5 million in grants to support medical research on subjects such as artery blockage in retired players, stem cell usage for tendon repair and heat stress risks. The league announced that 11 organizations will receive grants.